UFC Vancouver
- Benjamin Furnish
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
On October 18th, the UFC returned to Vancouver, Canada, for a night of combat brilliance. With countless highlight finishes throughout the card, fans in attendance and around the world were given a spectacular night of mixed martial arts. So, without further ado, let's break down the card.
Brendan Allen def. Renier de Ridder
In a pivotal matchup in the middleweight division, Brendan Allen pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Reinier de Ridder.
Heading into the contest, de Ridder was initially scheduled to face Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, but due to Fluffy pulling out, Allen stepped in on three weeks' notice.
The fight itself was what many expected: grappling-heavy with minimal exchanges on the feet. In the first round, de Ridder dominated, vying for multiple submission attempts, while brutalizing Allen on the ground. When the bell rang, fans were ready to call the contest, as de Ridder looked dominant.
However, in the second round, Allen reversed the tide. He was the one who engaged the grappling sequences, taking de Ridder down and utilizing ground and pound to secure himself the round. The third round was more of the same, and by this point, the tide turned 180 degrees, with de Ridder on his heels, fighting for his life.
The fourth round was the most gruesome of them all, with Allen continuing his dominance on the ground. As the bell rang, de Ridder failed to rise to his feet; his coaches had to pick him up and bring him to their corner. RDR was thoroughly exhausted, and with nothing left to give for the fifth round, his corner called the contest, leaving Allen victorious. Allen’s corner erupted in celebration, and for the young contender, who had little expectation to reach this stage, he now finds himself knocking on the door of title contention.
In his post-fight interview, Allen called out every top-five middleweight, and with this decisive victory over a title contender in RDR, Allen’s wish is guaranteed to be granted.
Mike Malott def. Kevin Holland
In the co-main event, Canadian Mike Malott defeated Kevin Holland in his grand homecoming.
The fight itself was odd. Malott struck Holland twice in the groin immediately, forcing Holland to take five minutes of recovery time. Despite this, Holland hit the Canadian with a right hand, sending Malott to the canvas, securing himself the first round.
However, the second and third rounds were a demonstration of Canadian toughness, with Malott pressing forward, pushing the pace, and putting Holland on his heels. It was clear Holland was laboring throughout the fight due to the groin strikes, but the fan favourite stuck it out and put up a strong effort.
In the end, Malott secured the decision victory, cementing himself in the top 15 of the welterweight division. Malott will undoubtedly be granted a higher-ranked opponent; however, he will need to improve dramatically if he looks to compete in the upper echelon of the welterweight division.
Aiemann Zahabi def. Chito Vera
In the featured bout, Canadian Aiemann Zahabi defeated Marlon “Chito” Vera via a controversial decision.
Coming off a highly controversial decision win over Jose Aldo, Zahabi was looking to make a statement in Vancouver against an established veteran in Chito. For Chito, this was his last hope at remaining in the elite tier of UFC bantamweights.
The fight was a back-and-forth war, with both athletes landing severe blows.
Ultimately, though, Chito’s downfall, an issue plaguing his entire career, was inactivity. Vera clearly had the superior skills, both on the feet and on the ground, yet time and time again, we see him hesitant to pull the trigger.
He landed the much more damaging blows, yet Zahabi was able to pull away due to sheer activity.
As the judges announced the decision, Vera was irate and immediately left the octagon without shaking hands.
For Zahabi, despite victories over Aldo and Vera, he will need to improve his striking defense drastically if he looks to compete in arguably the deepest division in the UFC.
UFC Vancouver was one for the books, and we’re not done yet. With UFC 321 approaching, be sure to check out our preview for Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane.
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